BosanskiHow to pronounce Bosnian
Bosnian is easier to pronounce than it looks. Here is what to listen for.
Bosnian is phonetic: every letter has exactly one sound, and every letter is pronounced. The only new sounds for English speakers are č, ć, dž, đ, š, ž, lj, nj and the rolled r.
Č and ć
Both sound like the English ch. Č is harder, made with the tongue further back, like church. Ć is softer and lighter, with the tongue near the teeth. Listen to the difference:
čaj (tea)
čarape (socks)
ćevapi (ćevapi)
voće (fruit)
Many Bosnians blur the two in fast speech, so do not panic if you mix them up. You will still be understood.
Dž and đ
The same idea, voiced. Dž is the hard English j of jam. Đ is the softer version. When typing without Bosnian letters, people often write đ as dj.
džem (jam)
džep (pocket)
rođak (cousin)
doviđenja (goodbye (polite))
Š, ž, c and j
Š is sh, ž is the s in measure, c is always ts (never k or s), and j is always the English y. So jaja (eggs) sounds like ya-ya.
šešir (hat)
žena (woman)
cvijeće (flowers)
jaje (egg)
Lj, nj and the rolled r
Lj is the lli in million, nj the ny in canyon. The r is a short tap or roll. It can even act as a vowel, so a word like prst (finger) has no vowel letter at all and is still easy to say.
ljeto (summer)
njiva (field)
ruka (hand / arm)
Practice out loud
Reading about sounds only gets you so far. In Bosanski you say each word out loud and Nana tells you whether she would understand you. Your voice is scored in the moment and never stored.
Questions
What is the difference between č and ć?
Č is a hard ch (church). Ć is a softer ch, with the tongue near the teeth.
How do you pronounce c in Bosnian?
Always ts, as in cats.
Is Bosnian hard to pronounce?
No. Every letter has one sound and every letter is pronounced, so once you know the 30 sounds you can read anything aloud.